Tag: free

While most of the San Diego Comic Con was up and runnin’ on Wednesday (SDCC Preview Night), I was among the first guests to enter the Laika Live Experience – a FREE exhibit in the Gaslamp District.

Laika Exhibit

Upon waiting in line my friends and I were handed a fan with a character as well as a headband with the characters iconic headdress (I choose the helmet for Kubo) and we were seated to watch a short video regarding the movies. For my readers unfamiliar with the Laika, they’re known for handcrafted stop-motion animation and stunning visual effects. They swap out heads to mimic different expressions, but at the end of the day it takes hours to create a scene that lasts a couple of minutes. Whew!

Hot on set!

They also recreated a few life-size versions of certain scenes, but don’t let this comfy lookin’ couch fool you, it’s as hard as a rock. So deceptive! And my hinny was in great pain, but anything for the shot! lol

Figurines from the exhibit

I can’t say that I know the franchise all that well, but I am confidently impressed by the patience and care to detail these artists put in creating these features. During the exhibit the artist who worked on the movie showed us techniques and told us how they recorded people doing certain tasks and would emulate those actions with the characters. One artist informed us that his running style was used for one of the mother characters.

My friends who attended last year said that this was even bigger and better than last – who will check this exhibit out in 2019?

I recently started to go to my local library on a weekly basis and as an educator so I picked up a few books to learn more about students with special needs. It’s always good to sharpen your skills and of course knowledge is power!

But… did you know that in the county libraries you can rent dvds? I somehow knew this, but it only hit me recently that this means that I DON’T HAVE TO PAY FOR MOVIES! WHAT HAVE I BEEN DOING?!

For the Orange County Public Library system, patrons can borrow movies for up to a week and return the item to the same or any of the 30 branches in the system. However, given the nature of the exchange, the movie selection is a bit more sparse and they tend to be older movies – think 80’s, 90’s (which didn’t bother me, but I can see some patrons being disappointed) .

Some other library (such as the El Segundo Library in Los Angeles) has an amazing dvd collection that’s reminiscent of a mini Blockbuster or Hollywood Video, but they charge $1.50 for a 2 day rental – still better than getting one from Redbox or going to the theatre to see a film and the money goes to buy new dvds for the libraries collection.

What’s one of your favorite frugal activities that can help you save money? Comment below!

Who doesn’t love free? I certainly do and when it’s your birthday you bet that you have ample opportunities to maximize special perks just for being born! Some items are date specific (meaning you have to redeem it on your birthday), but many can be redeemed anytime during your birth week or birth month. Check out my list!

Entertainment

Medieval Times: So here’s the catch, you cannot make a reservation online, you must do it in person. Also, I was told that you can redeem it anytime during your birth week/month? Though I did it on my birthday

Food

Daphnes: You get $5 to spend! I got a BBQ Flatbread. Sign up here. ttp://www.daphnesgreekcafe.com/enroll-now.html

Denny’s: You get a free original grand slam or you can build your own! No sign up necessary, just show up and tell them it’s your birthday. Valid on your birthday.

Del Taco: Just for signing up you will get two chicken soft tacos and on your birthday you will get a premium shake (choices of vanilla, strawberry, or chocolate). You will need to sign up at least 48 hours in advance since they tend to process their requests slowly. Sign up for their fan club here. http://www.deltaco.com/connect.html

Farrell’s Ice Cream: No sign up necessary! You just show up! The birthday boy or girl will get an ice cream sundae and a parade of servers tooting some variation of a birthday song for the special person.